SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Western Carolina quarterback Taron Dickens delivered one of the most accurate performances in college football history Saturday, completing his first 46 passes and finishing 53-of-56 for 378 yards and three touchdowns as the Catamounts edged Wofford 23–21 in a wild Southern Conference showdown at Gibbs Stadium.
Dickens now owns the college football record — all divisions — for most consecutive completions without a miss. The previous record had been 36, set by East Carolina’s Dominique Davis in 2011. For perspective, the NFL record for consecutive completions in one game is 25, less than half of Dickens’ mark on Saturday.
Marcus Trout’s 34-yard field goal with 23 seconds left sealed the win for Western Carolina (3-3, 2-0 SoCon) in a game that nearly turned into a loss despite Dickens’ record-setting efforts. Trout’s successful boot capped a 15-play drive that redeemed an earlier blocked kick. Wofford dropped to 0-5, 0-2.
ICYMI… Second straight season with the @Catamounts earning a Helmet Sticker on ESPN's College Football Final. Taron Dickens with the @NCAA_FCS completions record and the honor! And Catamount Nation – rest easy… a helmet is on the way to @espn and @MattBarrie. #NoExcuses #LOTE pic.twitter.com/ynxJRQGpX3 — Western Carolina Football (@CatamountsFB) October 5, 2025
Dickens’ Day for the Ages
The redshirt sophomore quarterback from Miami completed passes to 10 different receivers while orchestrating 93 offensive plays — 56 more than Wofford’s 37 offensive snaps. Dickens’ accuracy rate was 94.6 percent, with two of the three incompletions on the final drive. His short-passing efficiency kept drives alive all afternoon.
James Tyre remained Dickens’ go-to target, catching 13 passes for 102 yards and all three touchdowns, including scores of 2, 5 and 4 yards. Over the past three weeks, Dickens has thrown for 1,387 yards and 13 touchdowns without an interception. He missed the first three games due to academic issues, per CBSSports.com.
Dickens first showcased his talents on the back end of Western Carolina’s 2024 season, taking over for the injured Cole Gonzales. He completed 73.8 percent of his passes while posting back-to-back 400-yard efforts against Chattanooga and Samford.
His rise earned him SoCon Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honors and Preseason All-American recognition this summer— accolades that look even more justified now. Dickens has already collected multiple conference and national honors following stat-stuff games against Samford (582 yards, 6 TDs) and Campbell (427 yards, 4 TDs) the past few weeks.
According to the NCAA, Dickens completed his last four passes at Campbell and his first 46 against Wofford for an amazing 50 in a row across the two games.
WCU Nearly Let Game Get Away
Western Carolina struck first when Dickens found Tyre from two yards out early in the first quarter. Wofford answered quickly — a 49-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Whitaker to Ihson Jackson-Anderson and a two-point conversion gave the Terriers an 8-7 lead after one.
The second quarter swung back and forth. Tyre caught his second touchdown, and Wofford’s Isaiah Scott returned a punt 66 yards for a score to help the Terriers lead 14-8 at halftime.
Dickens connected with Tyre again late in the third for a 4-yard touchdown, giving Western Carolina a 20-15 lead before Whitaker hit Ivory Aikens for an 83-yard strike to flip the advantage back to Wofford.
Dickens’ first miss came early in the fourth quarter. Wofford blocked a Western Carolina field goal attempt on the next play. But the Catamounts held the Terriers and got the ball back.
Trailing 21-20 in the final minute, Dickens guided the Catamounts to the Wofford 10-yard line. After a successful 29-yard field goal attempt by Trout was waved off by a delay-of-game penalty on WCU, Trout calmly converted the re-kick from the 34.
The Catamounts recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Dickens got to kneel off his historic day with an important Southern Conference win in the bag.
By the Numbers
Western Carolina outgained Wofford 466-241 and held the ball for nearly 39 minutes. Dickens added 44 rushing yards on 19 carries, and five different Catamounts caught at least seven passes.
Wofford, meanwhile, lost its fourth one-score game of the season — all after leading in the fourth quarter. The Terriers’ other defeats came by scores of 16-15 (South Carolina State), 14-10 (Richmond) and 22-21 (Mercer).
What’s Next for Dickens, WCU
Western Carolina will look to stay perfect in league play when it returns home to face Furman next Saturday, Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m. The Catamounts amassed 801 yards of offense against the Paladins last season in a road win, with Cole Gonzales throwing for 620 yards and 5 TDs.
